What matters

Diversity & Inclusion

Just like our values and leadership framework, Diversity and Inclusion make it possible to deliver an extraordinary future and to ‘solve what matters for a moving world’.

Diversity and Inclusion within Z matters because we get better at understanding our customer and stakeholder needs and responding effectively to them as they evolve and change over time.

We are committed to reflect the diversity of New Zealand with an inclusive culture so that diversity can be fully expressed and manifest in tangible benefits. We will lead the way in developing a Kiwi firm that has our people being successful, being ourselves.

We can be successful, being ourselves, by being committed to:

A culture that does not discriminate, respects human rights, and is inclusive of all of those in New Zealand.

A firm that reflects the diversity of New Zealand at all levels.

Sustaining a workplace where all of us can achieve, where we are fully expressed as individuals, and where we address barriers to inclusion for ourselves and our colleagues.

Celebrating and leveraging each other’s differences and maximising the advantages that these differences offer us as a firm.

Accessing the wide range of ideas, experiences, approaches and perspectives that our people, from diverse backgrounds and with differing experiences, bring to their roles.

Developing inclusiveness as a core capability for all, and especially for our leaders.

An employment brand and a way we manage our recruitment and talent pipeline that results in a more diverse range of people joining and being successful in Z than ever before.

Providing thought leadership and sharing our experience with others while inspiring, and being inspired by our business partners, customers and suppliers creating their own diverse and inclusive workplaces.

We demonstrate that D&I matters and each of these commitments by:

Ensuring that Diversity and Inclusion is a fundamental consideration for all policies and practices throughout our firm.

Continually validating that all of our people policies, processes and practices are inclusive and consistently executed by all of our leaders.

Developing leaders who are confident and capable with inclusion, supported through training in unconscious bias and cultural intelligence.

Recruiting people based on merit from a diverse pool of talented candidates that represents the diversity of our stakeholders and markets, and where a pipeline does not exist we take action to support the creation of one.

Securing relevant accreditations and inviting ‘outside in’ thinking, which provides us access to best-practice and gives people, inside or outside Z, confidence that we do what we say when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

The way we show up for customers, stakeholders, shareholders and business partners is inclusive and demonstrates our understanding of what matters to them.

Visibly celebrating and sharing learning about what it is to be a contemporary New Zealander.

We define diversity as the characteristics that make one individual similar to, or different from, another. So we consider diversity encompasses gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, physical capability, political opinion, family responsibilities, marital status, education, employment status, cultural background and more.

There is no point in having diversity within Z and then excluding its contribution. So we define inclusion as our recognition that diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives lead to a better experience of work for our people, improve engagement, make teams stronger, lead to greater innovation and performance, contribute to more meaningful relationships with customers and stakeholders, and ultimately increase value to our shareholders. We also recognise that inclusion may require individuals to challenge their previously held beliefs and behaviours and we will support our people with that. The key point of Diversity and Inclusion is being open to new thinking and perspectives.